University Administrative Fellowships

Young woman and a female mentor talking smiling infront of a white board

University Administrative Fellowships help you prepare for the tenure-track job market or a career in academic administration. They are also valuable if you are looking for an experience that will position you for careers beyond the academy. Work on a project under the direction of the host department, attend meetings, and learn the ins and outs of your host’s position—including specific responsibilities, organizational dynamics, external networks, and more.

The Fellowship is broken into two components:

  • Mentoring and shadowing: Roughly 2 hours per week for the length of a semester
  • A project component: Roughly 4 hours per week for the length of a semester

To accept the fellowship, you must receive permission from your adviser(s) and be in good academic standing. International graduate students are encouraged to apply and to be in touch with the Davis International Center during the application process. University Administrative Fellows receive a $2,880 stipend in addition to normal support. The total time commitment is an average of 6 hours per week for the length of a semester. Summer UAFs are available, as are remote fellowships, which enable a broader range of participation in this program. 

Isabelle Chen
“Being a UAF with GradFUTURES has helped me to develop a wide range of transferable skills, from administrative organization to event planning to building a professional network—skills equally applicable within and outside of tenure-track academia. This bridging across professional "boundaries" also happens to be a key objective of my fellowship...” 


Isabelle Chen, GS, FIT

Jake Herb
“During my time in the program, I was able to meet with professors that I would not have normally interacted with and learn about their research. In addition, I took part in conversations with external companies that were interested in licensing Princeton IP. The UAF experience broadened the scope of career paths that I thought were possible with a PhD and provided me with valuable experience in getting to know all of the moving parts by which outside organizations can utilize the cutting-edge research generated within Princeton’s vibrant research community.” 


Jake Herb *17, CHE, Principal Scientist, Materials and Energy Technology Group, Physical Sciences, Inc. (PSI)

In the News

McNamara & Eyestone

Image: Sameer A. Khan / Fotobuddy

University Administrative Fellows program prepares Ph.D.s for careers within and beyond academia

Denise Valenti, Office of Communications
Feb. 21, 2020

UAF Career Outcomes

Senior Scientist in Oncology Chemistry, AstraZeneca

Associate Research Scholar, Princeton

Licensing Manager, Drexel University

Assistant Dean for Student Advancement and Diversity, University of Chicago

Scientist, Hebei Agiculural University

Directrice pédagogique(Academic Manager) for the SAE Institute Paris

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Princeton University

Director of Reseach, Open990

Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Utah

Director of NREM's Rod and Connie French Conservation Camp

Senior biomedical engineer for BD in BD biosciences

Software Engineer, Bravely

Postdoctoral Researcher, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery

Postdoctoral Researcher, MIT

Administrative Director, Prison Teaching Initiative

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Harvard Society of Fellows

Upward Bound Programs Educational Counselor and Math/Science Specialist, Keene State College

College Fellow at Harvard

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Janssen

Doctoral Fellow, American Bar Foundation

Senior biomedical engineer for BD in BD biosciences

Principal Scientist, Physical Sciences Inc

Data Scientist, Estee Lauder Companies

Research Associate, Research Alliance for New York City Schools

Literature Faculty at Bard High School Early College

College Fellow at Harvard

Chief of Staff, ETHOS

Program Manager, Officer of Diversion and Reentry

Senior biomedical engineer for BD in BD biosciences

Postdoctoral Fellow, Science History Institute

*Outcomes drawn from publicly-available LinkedIn Profiles

Related Programs

GradFUTURES Star

In addition to University Administrative Fellowships, the Graduate School offers a range of immersive experiences, all structured to support the timely completion of your degree program. Most of the fellowships are offered throughout the academic year and/or during the summer, and include Social Impact FellowshipsCommunity College Teaching Fellowship​​​​​s​, Higher Education Leadership FellowshipsMicro-Internships in Industry, and Pre-Matriculation Internships.